Public transport and walking in commuting in São Paulo during the COVID-19 pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12820/rbafs.30e0412Keywords:
Urban mobility, Walking, Physical activity, CommutingAbstract
Objective: Describe urban mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults in São Paulo and to analyze the association between the use of public transportation and walking as a mode of commuting. Methods: The study was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the second wave of the Health Survey (ISA) on Physical Activity and Environment, collected through telephone interviews between October 2020 and February 2021, with 1,434 adults. Urban mobility for work was assessed through questions regarding exposure to the home office model, commuting time to wo rk, and the primary mode of transportation used. Walking as a mode of commuting was measured using the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression were performed to examine the association between the use of public transportation and walking. The models were adjusted for sex, age, education level, presence of public transportation stations, and residential region according to the health coordination department. Results: The main findings indicate that, among workers interviewed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority worked in-person and primarily used public transportation for commuting. Furthermore, a statistically significant association was found between being a public transportation user and walking as a mode of commuting, both in the crude and adjusted models. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of public transportation was associated with walking for commuting among adults.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Guilherme Stefano Goulardins, Margarethe Thaisi Garro Knebel, Bianca Mitie Onita, Inaian Pignatti Teixeira, Eduardo Quieroti Rodrigues, Elaynne Silva de Oliveira, Alex Antonio Florindo
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